Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

Showmen Report \\ ar Bond Sales Activities Gertrude Tracy, Loev/s Ohio, Cleveland, pro7noted this display of flying instruments from Jack and Heintz for lobby attention. : (.Continued from opposite page) m to all classes and insertions made in all :hool bulletins. Mike also mailed out 500 government postlirds to previous Bond buyers with copy read'lig: "Remember Pearl Harbor. December ■ih. To finish this fight, you too must fight > the finish. You purchased j-our last Bond 'om us, Jet us serve yon again, won't } 0u ■ .emember Free Movie Day." For sidewalk isplay. Stranger used a 40 by 60 reading Have you bought your Bond today ?" And le entire theatre stall answered the telephone aying ''Good morning, this is the College leatre. It is not too late, please buy that ii'xtra Bond from us today. Thank you." John M. Levitt at the Court theatre in rewark, N. J., says hy window cards, prorams and rallies he has educated the comlunity to get their Bonds at the theatre when leir regular outlets, such as banks and postifices, are closed. John also sees to it that pplication blanks with the Court theatre name Tiprinted on them are available at markets, tc, and he has arranged for Bonds to be elivered by Air Raid Wardens, Legionnaires r Boy Scouts. rheatremen Cooperate Theatremen lined up in the Akron, Ohio, teritory are Millard Ochs, manager of Warner's >trand, who is co-chairman of Summit County ; Charles Raymond, Loew's division manager, )hio State Motion Picture Chairman ; Wilfred mith, co-chairman of Summit County, presient. Independent Theatres Association and lugh Gait, Summit County War Finance "hairman. Bond premieres were set for one night at le first first-run theatres, the Palace, Loew's, Colonial and Strand and kiddie matinees are 3 be held on one afternoon at the Highland, )ayton. Thornton, Spice and Rialto, covering very district in Akron. The Knights of Columbus, American Legion. oseph L. Citron, Loew's Apollo, New York, old Bonds on a street corner from an oldashioned pushcart. Two and one-half hours at corner netted $21,000 of "E" Bond purchases. B'nai B'rith, Navy Mothers, Friends of the 37th Division and the Akron University are all cooperatmg in the sale of Bonds for the premieres and kiddie shows. Al Wheeler of F&M's Ambassador theatre, St. Louis, took advantage of the Sixth War Loan 24-sheet by hanging it in front of his screen so that it was plainly visible to every patron as it was dropped between each show. Too big to miss, the sheet proved a good reminder to step out into the lobby and buy Bonds. The Granada and the Crescent theatres in Astoria, L. I., had a free movie day every day. The copy used in their ad was as follows : '"Every day is free movie day at the Granada and Crescent theatres. Just buy a Bond instead of a ticket." Lobby Exhibits In connection with her Bond activities at Loew's Ohio theatre in Cleveland, Gertrude Tracy contacted everyone with whom she had ever made a tieup at the theatre in an effort to bolster Bond sales. Gertrude tied in with Jack and Heintz for a lobby display of flight instruments, which is reported to have attracted considerable attention. In addition, Gertrude also had a display of an engine cowl for a P-47 Thunderbolt. On these displays, she stressed the cost of the item tied in with the Sixth War Loan Drive. Gertrude further manned a Bond Booth at the Variety Club auction in the Terminal and had several promoted gifts for the auction. Over 500 postcards were mailed out to past Bond buyers urging further participation. Mildred Fitzgibbons at Skouras' Roosevelt theatre, Flushing, N. Y., is director of an active group of 80 "Blue Star Brigadiers" and all meetings are held in her office. The area is divided into two sections and each works under the direction of Miss Fitzgibbons. A book is kept in the office in which each Bond sale is recorded under the salesman's name ; 20 Bond secretaries having donated their services to keep these records. Before the drive actually started, letters were sent from the theatre to Bond buyers from all previous drives urging that they purchase their Bonds from the "Blue Star Brigadier" when he called at their home. The drives are ended up with a Bond-a-Seat stage and screen show at which no one is admitted without a Bond purchase. The Brigadiers are the honored guests and are all dressed in formal clothes, standing in the lobby to receive the guests as they come in. Plugs Drive with Amplifier At the RKO Strand theatre. Far Rockaway, Ed McGlone uses his public address system in the lobby for attracting attention. The 40 by 60 lobby frame was made up with red, white and blue rayon pleated with Graflex pictures of war zones. The 32 by 52 frame featured the Statue of Liberty on a red, white and blue bunting background with blue tape around connecting to a blowup of a Bond. Harry A. Rose at the Majestic theatre, Bridgeport, Conn., landed front-page publicity when he held a Bond auction at his theatre held under the sponsorship of the North End Teen Age Center. Valuable articles were donated by local merchants. The Talent Unit of the War Council presented surprise acts for the show. Harry netted further publicity when Uncle Don of the kiddies' radio program appeared at the theatre for his War Bond Show. Also aimed at juveniles was an essay contest scheduled for schools on "Why I Buy War Bonds," boy and girl winners receiving a trip to New York City. Premiere Broadcast A children's War Bond premiere was held one Saturday morning recently by William Hartnett of the Embassy theatre, Waltham, Mass. Through the cooperation of the Superintendent of Schools and the Directors of the Parochial Schools, the principals and brothers handled their own schools with a representative from each collecting the money and applications which were brought to the theatre where all Bonds were made out. The children received a ticket to the premiere by their own purchases or the sale of a Bond. For his evening premiere, Hartnett arranged a coast-to-coast broadcast over Station WNAC, present at the event were Gov. Leverett Saltonstall. Gov. Elect Maurice Tobin and other dignitaries. Souvenir programs were distributed to those in attendance. <ANAGERS' ROUND TABLE, DECEMBER 30, 1944 47